Into The Darkness

Draven

Draven POV

I am sitting in my office. Leo took Audrey into the artifact room. I am not fully convinced that taking her there is the right thing to do. Leo could lose his chance at eldership. I have been trying to review a stack of papers since coming here. I still have not gotten past the first page. I sit back and let the day run through my mind. Usually, a vampire prince doesn't descend to the throne for hundreds of years if not more. To become king is frightening and exciting at the same time. I will be the youngest king to ever sit on the throne.

I sit back and finally give up on doing my work. My mind flashes back to my childhood. When I was twelve years old, my parents died in a house fire. When the fire broke out I was asleep in bed. I was able to get out but not without significant burns to my arms, legs and back. When I became a vampire, most of those scars disappeared, but I still have some raised marks. A constant reminder of where I came from.

I had no one after the fire. I became an orphan overnight. It didn't take me long to learn how to charm people. It was how I survived the streets. I was fourteen when Leo found me. He watched me from afar for a while. He says my charm made me stand out to him. He had never had a desire to create a vampire before. I guess he must have seen something special in me. At some point, he took me in and raised me. He told me what he was after I turned eighteen. He gave me the choice to be turned or to walk away. At the time, I didn't have any better options, so I asked to be turned. It has been a few hundred years since. Now I am being asked to become the king of all vampires.

The candles in the room started to flicker, and they pulled me from my thoughts. I can see it in the dark but the flickering is distracting. I looked down at my phone. I scroll through the phone book searching for entertainment. I need someone new to spend the night with. I found someone and started to send a text message. The candles flicker again and then blow out. I glanced up annoyed, but then continued with my message. Before I could push send, the phone also shut off. I tap on the screen and nothing happened. I tried to restart it, but it didn't do anything.

I set the phone down and looked around the room. When you live in a world like mine, nothing is a coincidence. The candles blowing out and my phone losing power doesn't feel right. I think I should go find Leo. I stood up and head for the door. I open the door and froze in place. There at the end of the hallway is a floating figure. It looks like a person made of fire. I have seen a lot of things in my life, but this is new. "Nope" I said and slammed the door shut. I walked back towards the desk and turned to stare at the door.

The floating figure steps through the door and I glance towards the window. It is between me and this thing. I doubt I can make it.

What the hell did Audrey touch down there? I started to curse her for killing me right before letting me become king. The light comes to the middle of the room and stops. I stood there frozen in place. If it were anything other than fire, then it might have been fascinating to watch. Why does it have to be fire? “What the hell!” I didn't have any other options. "What do you want?" I asked.

The figure lifted a hand and pointed towards the door. "Uh....ok" I took a heavy breath in before walking along the wall to the door. I never take my eyes off the figure in front of me. It seemed to also watch me as I moved. I got to the door and swung it open. "There" I said. The figure tilted its head and started to move towards me. I took a step towards the door to make a run for it and the figure rushed forward. It grabbed my arm, sending a searing pain through my arm. It said "Chosen" in a strange voice. I let out a string of curse words and the figure vanished.

I grab my arm and head for the hallway. I need to find Leo. I round a corner and stop again. There was a small red light floating towards me. This light had a strange pull to it. I could feel power radiating off it. It floats towards me and starts to circle around me. It goes faster and faster until it stops in front of me. It is about a foot away. It flies forward, and I think the damn thing is embedded in my chest. I fell forward and hold my chest. Energy is rushing through my body. I lifted my hand and saw myself glowing in red. “What the hell did you do, Audrey?” I whispered out again. The glow disappears and the candles in the room light up again.

It is times like this that I wish I could get drunk again. I go to my desk and reach for my phone. I stop when I see a red handprint on my arm. I take my other fingers and try to rub it off. It feels like it is a part of my skin. It also feels hot to the touch. Almost like it is on fire. I turned around and left my office. I rushed upstairs and went to Audrey's door. I started to knock rapidly. Seth opens the door looking alarmed. I pushed him aside and marched inside. Audrey is sitting at the edge of the bed watching me.

I stop in front of her. “What the hell is this?” I point to my arm and her mouth drops open.

“You're the red one.” She breathes out. Seth comes around and examines my arm.

“Red one?” I yelled. I never lose my temper. She raised her arm and I saw a white handprint. She points to her neck and I notice a necklace. There are two stones in it and two hallowed indents in the gold. “There are still two of us still missing. I don’t know what that means. I have a feeling we need to find them.”

I sit down next to Audrey, and she starts to explain everything she knows. I leave her room feeling a little uneasy. I looked down at my arm again. I touch it and it still feels hot. Of all the things I thought I might catch from a woman, this is not one of them.